Viewfinder

As mentioned in my D1 and D1x reviews the viewfinder
bears more than a passing resemblance to that on the F5, about the only
difference being that the D1(x/H)'s viewfinder can't be removed. Otherwise
it is very, very similar, made from the same strong magnesium alloy as
the rest of the body with a round rubber eyepiece, eyeglass wearers can
set a dioptre adjustment by a dial on the right side, on the back there's
a lever for the eyepiece shutter, a cover which comes down inside the
viewfinder for use in long exposures (to stop stray light from entering
through the viewfinder). Note also that the metering system selector is
on the side of the viewfinder (detailed later).

The view through the eyepiece is clear enough, the frame
view feels very slightly cropped compared to a film SLR (although not
as much as on Kodak DCS digital SLR's). Manual focusing using the ground
glass focusing screen (which can be changed for others) was easy enough
and there's plenty of information repeated on the status bar in the viewfinder.

With the D1H the focus area brackets glow red when selecting
a focus point or triggering autofocus (half-pressing the shutter release
for example). I particularly like this feature, found in many high-end
film SLR's it's a useful visual reminder of just which focus area you
have selected.

In my D1 review I put in a request for the ISO sensitivity
to be displayed on the viewfinder status bar, well as yet this hasn't
been implemented, however the ISO is now displayed on the rear control
panel LCD by default (although you can change this back to frame count
if you prefer). So once more, please Nikon R&D, can we have a readout
of the current ISO setting on the viewfinder status bar?

Battery Compartment

The battery compartment on the D1H takes up about three
quarters of the base of the camera, the compartment door is incorporated
into the battery, with a flush fitting metal catch holding the whole battery
and door into place, removing the battery is a simple case of flipping
and turning the catch then sliding the battery out. The EN-4 battery for
the D1 is rated as 7.2V 2000 mAh (14.4 Wh), by far one of the most powerful
rechargeable battery we've seen in any digital camera / SLR.

Battery Charger

Charging the D1H's battery is a case of plugging it into the supplied
charger (MH-16). As yet there's no 'docking station' type charger
which would be far less of a fiddle than connecting the cable to
the battery each time you want to charge.

One other disappointment was that you can't use the charger as
an AC adapter, that's an optional extra (and a requirement if you
wish to clean the CCD in the manner described in the manual).

Using this charger a full charge takes around 90 minutes
(though obviously it's capable of 'top up' charges which are far quicker).
It is noted
that the MH-15 battery charger (for the F100) can be used to charge D1
batteries, and it has the bonus of two connectors.

CompactFlash Compartment

The D1H's CompactFlash compartment is in the rear of
the hand grip, to open it you need to lift a small flap (slip your thumb
under it) and press a release button, the spring loaded door will then
pop open revealing the CompactFlash slot (a neat mechanism which ensures
no accidental door openings).

It's worth noting the rubber grommet around the seal
of the compartment door, offering further dust and water resistance. There's
plenty of space inside to eject and remove the card, the door itself is
cunningly designed so you can pop a new card in, put your hand on the
grip which will close the door and flip over the eject lever in one movement.

In my D1 review I mentioned that some users had requested
a custom function to stop the camera from shooting when there's no card
inserted. Nikon has now implemented this option, it's custom function
number 34.

Notable improvement: Nikon
now officially support the IBM Microdrive (the newer MK II units). Although
previously D1 users had used the Microdrive some had experienced problems
and Nikon had never officially sanctioned its use. Support is now limited
to the newer 512 MB and 1 GB units (known as the MK II Microdrive's).

Connections

The D1H is well endowed with connectors, if any criticism
were due it would be that they are not all concentrated in one place,
although their location is logical enough when you consider using the
D1H tethered or with accessory equipment.

Top: Remote control and Sync flash terminals.

Bottom: Video out and DC-IN (for use with Nikon proprietary
AC adapter).

Top: RS232C (serial) input for connection to external GPS
unit (GPS location information is recorded in the image header)

Bottom: Firewire (IEEE1394) port for image transfer and
camera control (now better performance and faster transfers than
the D1)

New feature:
The D1H now supports connection to an external GPS device which allows
the camera to record it's exact location information in the header of
the image file (JPEG, TIFF or RAW). GPS Input must be enabled through
the camera set up menu, once connected a small 'D' on the rear LCD panel
indicates data transfer between the camera and GPS unit.

Compatible GPS Devices (taken from the D1H manual)

GARMIN or MAGELLAN GPS devices compatible with the NMAE0183 ver 2.01
protocol can be used with the camera. (NMAE = National Marine Electronics
Association).

Operation has been confirmed with the following GPS devices:

GARMIN GPS III

MAGELLAN COLORTRAK

Because cables for connecting GPS devices to the camera are not available
from Nikon, the user must supply a suitable cable.